The Gates of Eclipse
by sOhAe
Summary: /!\ Spoiler chap 312! You're warned! As they approached the doors, a familial figure appeared before them, a scary story to tell... A fight against fate in on!


15

**I do not own Fairy Tail, but here, I own my little OC, Haru. This story takes place right after the chapter 312. I hope you'll enjoy it. If you see any mistake, be it in grammar, choice of words or even the events (I'm not taking into account what happened after the chap. 312, obviously), feel free to tell me in a review or private message. English isn't my maternal language, and a French version of this same story will be posted on the website once I'll have gathered the courage to type it on my computer… **

**No on with the story!**

* * *

It's another Lucy who appeared right in front of our eyes. She explained us that she was from the future and fainted in Natsu's arms. As we were going back, a little voice stopped us.

"Mama! Wait!"

The Lucy from the future opened her eyes with difficulty.

"Haru…" She muttered.

"Mama!"

"Haru, why did you follow me? I told you to stay with Laxus!" She scolded the little girl.

"But…"

"Enough! Natsu, put me down please, I should be able to walk now?"

Natsu put her carefully on the ground. Lucy went closer to the child. I took this chance to examine her: small, maybe 4 or 5 years old, pinkish hair and big chocolate brown eyes.

"Hum…Lucy-from-the-future… this little child is…?" I began.

"Yes" she smiled, looking towards Natsu, "she's our daughter, Natsu."

Complete shock appeared on his face, and I felt burning, understanding very well what such a thing involved.

"It's quite hard to explain. Could we go to a safe place? I'll explain everything that happened since that fateful day when… Anyway, let's leave this place!"

She took little Haru's hand. Our group then went back to the exit, without meeting any other trouble, luckily. Once we arrived to the hotel lodging us for the Magic Games, we settled in the wide living room of Fairy Tail's suite. She put the young Haru on her knees. It seemed like she wasn't planning to hide anything from her. She took a deep breath and began.

"I'm here in official mission. The High Security Council of Fiore gave me this only one opportunity to change what I caused in the past. The Eclipse Plan… During the Games -the ones you're participating in right now- I accepted to take part in this plan and you too, Yukino. Time went back to several centuries ago. Only one thing changed: the dragons never disappeared. For centuries, they've been dominating and ruling the world and humans. We are not even living beings to them, merely some random toys. During the Games, a little more than 6 years ago, Fairy Tail tried to stop Yukino and I. Only about ten of us managed to go through the Gates of Time. All the others perished under the remains of Mercurius." She explained with a face devoid of emotion.

Natsu stiffened upon hearing this last statement.

"Who?" He asked.

My version of the future screwed her eyes up for a second, getting very well what he meant by 'Who'.

"You Natsu, Mirajane, Erza, Laxus, Gajeel, Wendy, Juvia, Lisanna, Yukino and me…"

"Gray, Levy, Master and all the others, Happy? They are all….dead?"

"The Exceeds were hold back by a magic field. Exceeds don't exist in my future. They never appeared on Earthland."

"Go on Lucy" Mirajane encouraged, trying to keep a neutral voice as much as possible.

"Levy and Freed enabled us to go through the doors thanks to their Rune Magic, Gray sent Juvia in the Vortex to save her from some huge rubble which would have crushed her. He was the one crushed instead… Mira…You and Lisanna were able to go through the Gates thanks to Elfman, who took all the damages he could, until the end. Master… He tried to protect us all from the rubbles of the castle; he gave us the possibility to get to the Gates… Once in the Vortex, we were sent 400 years ago, right in the middle of the Dragons/Humans civil war. Natsu, Laxus, Wendy and Gajeel managed to avoid the transformation of that dragon slayer into Acnologia. After that, we were sent back in X791, but altered accordingly to our actions. Those who lost their lives in the collapsing of Mercurius weren't back, since everything happening right now, in this era, never happened in mine. We are the only ones who kept our memories… I guess they are alive, somewhere… but the world is so different! There is no town, like Magnolia or Hargeon… Us humans are living in small tribes, in the woods. Plains and mountains are the dragons' territories."

She gave us a few minutes to take in all those pieces of information. Mira finally let her tears freely fall after hearing that she and her sister were still alive thanks to their brother's sacrifice. Natsu seemed to be far in his thoughts. Wendy was hugging the three Exceeds tightly while crying. As for me, I was far too shocked to utter a single word. I was just watching an invisible point on the wall in front of me. It's Natsu's voice which brought me out of my lethargy.

"What happened after we were brought back in x791?"

His pragmatism left me completely agape. Lucy sighed, caressing her/our daughter's hair, who was watching her sadly.

"We all went our way… Juvia left alone, and I don't know if she is still alive. At the beginning, Erza, Laxus, Lisanna and Mirajane settled together. Wendy, Gajeel, Natsu and I stayed together too. And Yukino went her own way alone too. We still can use Magic, but the dragons' power is so overwhelming after all those centuries, that what we called dragon slayer magic is now a mere control over the elements. I still can summon my Spirits, but I don't have keys anymore, my voice is enough. Haru inherited her father's powerful ability with fire, and she can also communicate with celestial spirits. She's the only one able to go in and out of their realm freely. A few months after we went back to year X791, Wendy and Gajeel went to join Erza's tribe. Natsu and I stayed together, but we were never far from them, and we always kept in touch. Haru was born one year and half after our arrival in the 'new' X791, during springtime, hence her name. The High Security Council is composed of the only four mages powerful enough to have a contact with dragons. They take a census of the births, deaths and living human population every year. You have no choice but to do it. If we refuse to go to the Central City, we are placed on 'Kill On Sight', and the first dragon who find the culprit…. I let you imagine… Four years ago, I got in a situation which prevented me to go there for the census…"

She stood up, still holding her daughter's hand, and took off her long cape. We all moved back seeing her body. All her left side was made of metal. Haru stood protectively in front of her mother.

"Don't look at Mama this way!"

"It's okay Haru, They have to know to understand. I lost my left arm, half of my belly and my left leg two days after that missed census… I was washing our clothes in a lake near our camp when he arrived… All dragons have a name, written in diamonds on their neck. This one was called Arkus. It was a young one, maybe one hundred years old. We can't speak their language, and only few of them took the time to learn ours. I just had the time to call Virgo for her to take my one year-old Haru to her father. I knew it was the end for me. Natsu had been quick to understand that I had been found. When he arrived near the lake, I had already lost my left side to the dragon's fangs."

She closed her eyes, seeming to live this nightmare once again.

"I was still conscious and I saw… I saw Natsu trying to fight… but Arkus was too powerful… When the dragon was going to rip me off with his claws, Natsu… He jumped between Arkus and me and took the blow. He died instantly, his body torn to shreds… (She took a shaking breath) Maybe Arkus thought that since a life was taken, my debt was paid, because he left, just like that. Gajeel found us while hunting, and he and Wendy forged me that 'new' left side. Not long after Natsu's burial, Mira and Erza left. I never heard from them since then. Gajeel was killed too while hunting, a few months later. He had the bad idea to choose the same prey as a female dragon… Wendy, Laxus and Lisanna stayed with me. Mira, you're the aunt of a cute little Diego, he's eleven months old. He looks a lot like Laxus, but has you and Lisanna's eyes. One month ago, Laxus came back from his hunt and told us he found the Gates of Time. He didn't lie. I immediately volunteered to come back here, almost seven years back, knowing that even if I failed, they would take care of Haru. I didn't expect her to follow me here." She concluded, glaring at the little girl.

We stayed silent a few minutes. The world she described was nothing like a paradise. And it would become like that if we participated in the Eclipse Plan. To our surprise, it was Wendy who asked THE question.

"What was your goal when you decided to come back in x791?"

"I would like me old self to take to right decision." She said, looking at me straight in the eyes.

"The right decision? Should we refuse to take part in the Eclipse Plan then?" asked Mira, as if she read my mind.

"I know that mine and Haru's futures are now jeopardized, since you know what the future will be like, and that you can modify it accordingly… I just ask you to give it some good thoughts. It's impossible to predict or guess what will happen if the Eclipse Plan fails… So weigh up the pros and cons… Think about what would be the best for you, your friends and family." She ended, lowering her gaze.

Haru was clutching her mom's cape like a shipwreck victim to a lifebelt. Lucy-from-the-future was right. We knew what happened after the Eclipse Plan. And this near future, we were now able to change it. But modifying it would induce other modifications, obviously. My version of myself in the future could be completely different, Haru could never exist… but Natsu may survive… If Eclipse failed, then we would have to face uncertainty and the unknown… Or maybe nothing would change in the world we know today… The destiny of the world was on our shoulders, no more no less. There were so many things to take into account.

"Mama, you talked a few times about daddy in your story… He is alive here?" Haru asked innocently.

Natsu lifted his head to meet Haru's mom's eyes, as to get her assent. She nodded imperceptibly and Natsu stood up, going near the little girl to crouch down to her level.

"You were only one year old, so you don't remember right? I'm your Daddy, Haru. Natsu, Natsu Dragneel."

"Like my last name! You heard that Mama? He's really my Daddy?"

"Yes dear, he is. And if you're still doubting, just look at yourselves in a mirror…" she confirmed with a small smile.

It was strange to me, to see Natsu interact like that with her… Our daughter… His and mine… It was even stranger with the other Lucy in the same room. And even more knowing the intimacy needed between a man and a woman to conceive a child… I felt myself turn ten shades of red from head to toes once again. And then again, my thoughts were drawn back to that horrible decision we would have to take soon.

"When?" I asked finally.

"Pardon?" Lucy-from-the-future looked at me with a perplexed expression. Then her eyes lit up in understanding.

"If today is the third day of the Games, then it's the day after tomorrow. When you will go to Mercurius palace to get you rewards as the victors, the Princess will bring you to a wide ballroom, and the Gates will be there. That's when you'll have to decide." She clarified.

"Can we talk about all this with the others?" Mira asked.

"If you think that it is necessary, yes sure, you can." She accepted. "Last time, the whole guild knew about our decision. The last thing Master told us before he was crushed under Mercurius was 'Go and create a better world my dear children…' We didn't do such a great job in my opinion…" She confessed, lowering her eyes.

Natsu and Haru were playing together, creating small fire balls in their palms. His seriousness and pragmatism seemed to be completely forgotten. Watching him like that, I could tell he had been a real mother hen with Haru during the short year and half he'd known her.

"It's getting late. Haru and I are going to find a room in town. The others should be back soon."

She took Haru in her arms, wincing when her weight shifted on her left arm. She left us with a last short nod. We stayed silent for a long moment after she exited the room. It was the noisy arrival of our cheery guild mates which brought us out of our silence.

"And 9 more points for FAIRY TAIL!" trumpeted Master.

This display of positive emotions brought a smile on our lips. Gray, Erza, Gajeel, Juvia and Laxus all won their match. With those points, we were the victors, no doubt. I should have been overjoyed, partying and laughing with them, but I couldn't. Not in the situation we were in. Mira, Wendy, Natsu and I glanced at each other knowingly. I stood up and forced a yawn out.

"I'm off to bed. It's been a hell of day!" I announced.

"I'm glad to have you back, Lu-chan!" Levy smiled.

I smiled too, but my smile held sadness. Levy didn't survive to Mercurius' collapsing. Once in my small room, I fell on the bed, pensive. If we tried to modify what happened after the Great Magic Games, what would be different? If we all managed to go through the Gates of Time, and to stop the war, to prevent Acnologia's birth, to speak to the dragons and make them understand that we can live in peace with them… There were so many possibilities… I didn't hear the windows when he opened them to enter, but I knew Natsu was there, sitting at the edge of my bed. I tapped the pillow next to me for him to lie down beside me. He complied with a small smile. We stayed like that, facing each other in silence for a few endless seconds. He was the first one to speak.

"What are we going to do Luce?"

"I don't know." And I had never been more honest.

"Think about it, in six years, if we let things go the exact same way, I'll be dead and…"

"Don't say that! If there was only one thing I will change, it will be that! You won't die, Natsu, never… I'll never let that happen."

"And there is Haru, too…"

"It was so strange… Seeing myself, older, and a mom…"

"Lucy, I love Haru. I know her, but I know she's my blood and flesh and… That's why I doubt so much…"

"I know. Natsu, whatever our decision, you have to understand that she and my older safe are going to vanish… I mean, they can't just 'go back' in the future… We will have to sacrifice our own daughter… And just thinking about that makes me sick…" I said, tears welling up in my eyes.

"I'm not the best when it comes to thinking, you know me, but Luce, I swear, if we can change that dreadful future, and if we make it alive, you and me, then Haru will be with us again, one day or one other."

"Natsu?"

I was not sure that he understood the meaning of his own words. He just declared that we really wanted me to be the mother of his child. Until now, I never considered him as anything else than my best friend. Now, I was seeing him with a whole new light. I lifted my eyes to meet his, and I knew. He was sincere, and had perfect knowledge of what he implied. I smiled wholeheartedly for the first time today and went straight in his open arms. I finally found the place where I belonged.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

The next morning, Natsu and I awoke with the excited squeaks of Mirajane, who, I supposed, had come to tell me that breakfast was ready. We were still hugging tightly in my bed, all our clothes on, but it had been far enough for the gorgeous bartender's wild imagination when it came to romance, even when she already knew we had a child together in the future, certainly, but still. She asked us to join the rest of Fairy Tail. I nodded and got out of the bed, immediately followed by my favorite dragon slayer. We sent to put some cold water on our face and I quickly combed my hair. Then, we joined the others in the wide restaurant of the hotel, only to be welcomed by a knowing smile from Levy and Mira.

The morning hours went by slowly. The Games were over and our guild was the winner of the tournament. The mood was festive, but for the six or so of us who knew about the situation, the main thought was directed toward the horrible decision we would have to take the next day. After lunchtime, I went to take a walk in town, hoping to find Haru and my older self. They were the one who found me first. We went to a cozy tearoom .

"Mama, you didn't change a lot I think"

"We came back to six years and half ago only, Haru, that's why." The other Lucy smiled.

The young barmaid brought us our drinks, looking at us curiously. She was certainly thinking that we were twins. I left to find them with a precise purpose, and I spoke after taking a small sip of hot tea.

"Lucy, erm… Yesterday, you told us that you, I mean, we managed to stop the transformation of Acnologia, right?"

"Yes" she confirmed.

"How?"

"Natsu, Gajeel, Laxus and Wendy fought against Zeref…"

"Zeref? So he is really that old?"

"Yes, he's as old as the world. An immortal. And invincible. Since they fought against him, he was unable to activate the metamorphosis of the first dragon slayer into a dragon. But Zeref is still alive, and he has never been more dangerous. He is the only one who have perfect knowledge of their language, and he is also the only one powerful to kill one."

"As powerful as that, for real?"

"The world changed a lot after our intervention, and the Zeref we met in the forest before the incident on Tenroujima is only a ersatz of the one he is in that modified era. He was never captured and weakened by humans, and never had this switching behavior. Zeref is a monster, Lucy."

"I see… Lucy, whatever our decision, you and Haru will…"

"Yes" she murmured, a tender smile playing on her lips, "we will disappear. The future will change one way or one other… We're not from another dimension, there's no turning back."

"As I thought… Natsu loves his daughter deeply, Lucy. Our daughter. And it is really killing us inside to know that you two will disappear…"

"Lucy, it was our fate to have Haru. We couldn't live without the other… And one thing leading to another…"

"Yesterday night, he told me… He said that if the both of us made it alive, then Haru would exist. She will be born, whenever it will be… She will." I told her, blushing like crazy.

" You heard that baby? We will meet again dear!"

"You two talked about that?" I was surprised.

"Yes, in our room, this morning. I explained to her what is going to happen now that we have crossed the Gates."

"We will change the future, Lucy. I refuse to lose any of my friends, and I don't want to lose Natsu either. We will find a way to avoid that dreadful world you lived in for the past six years. Thanks to you, we know what is going to happen, and we will use this knowledge to save our friends."

"Thank you, Lucy."

They smiled. I wondered if I had said exactly what they needed to hear… Maybe I did, after all.

We then chatted like two (three) friends, talking about our shared memories. Haru had somehow ended sitting on my knees, and stroking her hair maternally seemed completely normal to me. Like Natsu had said before, she was our flesh and blood, and even time could not have any impact on such a powerful bond. After a few hours, I took my leave, promising to tell them goodbye the next morning.

I was midway when I ran into them. The Twin Dragon Slayers: Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney. The first still had a few bruises after his successful fight against a tired Gray, and Rogue was still covered by bandages, proof of his defeat against Gajeel. Seeing them triggered something in my head. I frowned, hesitating. They were still our enemy right? But I knew, deep inside, that our chances to survive would rise considerably if they were with us. I took all my courage and called them.

"Sting! Rogue! Wait!" I shouted as they continued their way.

"My my, if it isn't a fairy!" The blond exclaimed, adorning his small smirk, as always.

"I have something important to talk to you about!"

"What could a little fairy like you have to do with Tigers like us?" Sting said, looking surprised.

"I…I need your help…" I confessed.

The utmost surprise appeared on their face.

"How so? I must admit that I'm quite surprised…" Sting said with a mocking tone.

"I'm not joking!" I cried, offended.

"And what can we help you with, Lucy of Fairy Tail?" Rogue asked, speaking for the first time.

"I would like you to help me save this world!" I blurted out, serious as hell.

The only reaction I got was a pair of raised eyebrows.

"It is not a joke! There is more to this tournament than what you can imagine! I can't tell anything else while we're standing here; there are too many eavesdroppers in town…"

They certainly understood the seriousness of the situation, because they glanced at each other and nodded.

"We follow you." Sting said, now serious.

Relieved, I guided them to our hotel. Almost all Fairy Tail was gathered in the wide living room, and our arrival was welcomed by a heavy silence. Master was the first to break it.

"Lucy, what are you doing here with two members of Sabertooth?" He asked an angry scowl on his face.

I scanned the room. Natsu was standing, his closed fists trembling with rage, as was Gajeel. Only Mira and Wendy looked at us with a knowing smile. Thanks Edoras, they had already understood my intention.

"Master, there are things I have to tell you… and these two have to hear what I have to say too…"

He frowned but calmed down seeing my determined face. And like that, I explained everything. I began with us meeting Jellal and his friends, and them warning us about a mysterious and dangerous feeling during the past Games. It was in order for the Twin Dragons to understand it all. I then spoke about the dragons' graveyard discovered by Gajeel under Crocus, and I also reported our discussion with Zirconis the Jade Dragon. I explained about the war which gave birth to Acnologia, who was the first dragon slayer.

All this was already known by Fairy Tail, but Sting and Rogue seemed to be completely absorbed by my words. I continued with the Eclipse Plan, and the way it could open Gates to go in the past, in order for us to stop Zeref and Acnologia. I looked at Mira, and she nodded slightly, telling me to go on.

"Yesterday, as we were coming back from the underground passage, Wendy, Natsu, Mira, the three Exceeds and I, we… as we were to go out, the main gates opened, and it's a future version of myself who appeared. She wasn't alone. A little five year-old girl was with her… my daughter."

At this point, they were all drinking my words…well, except for the one who knew already.

"She told us that she came from the future, six years and half ahead, actually."

"Then it means that the end of the world never happened if you're still alive in six years, and a mom at that!" Levy exclaimed.

"No Levy… It happens that in her future, everything is really different. The Eclipse Plan worked, and Acnologia was stopped. But in the future she lived in, the world is under dragons' domination, and humans are considered as less than animals there." I explained.

Reactions were diverse. Most of the girls seemed filled with horror, when men seemed shocked. The Twin Dragons were stunned. I coughed a bit and continued the story. My voice quavered when I talked about the day we went through the Gates, and almost everyone's death as the castle collapsed. I ended with the wish of the other Lucy. We stayed silent for a long time after I finished this sad story. Natsu had somehow come next to me and was gently squeezing my hand. I smiled sadly to him in return.

"Lucy, did you take you decision?" Erza asked.

"More or less… Now we know one of the possible futures. We know what will happen when the Gates will open. I think that with a good strategy, we can change this future for a better one. And we can save more people, too. And defeat Zeref AND Acnologia.

"A very cute idea you got here, little fairy" Sting interrupted, "but do you even have a strategy in mind?"

"Once Eclipse will be activated, Mercurius will collapse right on top of us. We must persuade the mages controlling earth, wood and stone to create some kind of tunnel to the Gates. We may be able to be safe, this way." I said.

"Just to be sure, you don't plan to save all the people of Fiore, right?" He asked again.

"Of course not. It's not even conceivable! But we may be able to save as many powerful wizards from other guilds as possible. And with them, our survival chances would increase considerably, I think."

"And our role in all that?" He insisted.

"You two, Natsu, Laxus, Gajeel and Wendy… Six dragon slayers… Your task will be to fight Zeref, and defeat him, if possible. You have to prevent him to turn that human into Acnologia; most of the people here - me being part of them - saw, felt and 'died' under his power and cruelty. You two are powerful, as are the four dragon slayers of Fairy Tail, and your guild has some of the most powerful wizards of earthland. So I beg you" I said, bowing and kneeling down in front of those who were our foes, and ignoring the shocked shouts of my comrades, "help us."

Natsu had bent down to my level and was trying to make me stand, but my nails where dug in the wooden floor. I would not move until I got their answer. I could hear Levy, Lisanna and Wendy's sobs, but I kept my eyes on the ground, swallowing the ball of fear growing in my throat. I could also feel the scrutinizing stares of the two members of Sabertooth, and it wasn't helping with my nervousness. After what seemed an eternity to me, the Shadow Dragon Slayer, Rogue, broke the silence.

"Ok, I'll help you. Sting?"

"Yeah, me too."

I let a long relieved sigh out, and let my tears fall freely, tears of gratitude. I lifted my eyes from the ground to thank them, but my 'thank you' just stayed stuck in my throat when I met their two genuine smiles. These were real smiles reaching their eyes. My tears of relief flooded even more, and I could only smile my biggest smile back to them.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

After that, everything went very fast. The two dragon slayers went back to Sabertooth to try to persuade their guildmates. As for us, we split up and went to meet the other guilds as well. We managed to rally Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heels, Lamia Scale and Bacchus from Quatro Puppy. Raven Tail had just disappeared, but I had no desire to see them ever again. We couldn't save everyone, and thinking about all of these ignorant people in Crocus, Magnolia and all Fiore made me sick. But I had to be strong. In the evening, Sting and Rogue came back to tell us they only manage to persuade Rufus and Orga to join us. Minerva had only said it wasn't her problem, and none of the others had taken them seriously.

And so it was decided that Jura and Shelly (Lamia Scale), Max (Fairy Tail), and Risley (Mermaid Heels) would use their stone, wood, sand and gravity mastery respectively to create the tunnel between the entrance of the room and the Gates of Eclipse. They would have to be fast, for we didn't know how long it would take between the opening of the Gates and the collapsing of Mercurius. Yukino and I would have to open the Gates with our twelve keys. The six dragon slayers would be the first to enter the Vortex, followed quickly by everyone else. Yukino and I would be the last one to go through the Gates, and finally we would close them behind us. Everything was ready. Master Makarov had gone to the palace to ask for the presence of the other guilds during the winner event. The Princess had seemed a bit taken aback by his demand, but has accepted nonetheless.

And here we were, everyone gathered in a huge ballroom, and right in front of us: the Gates. I was certain it was them. The twelve Zodiac Symbols were engraved on top of lock-like holes. And so, the equation got solved by itself in my brain. I turned toward the Princess, shocked.

"You opened them already?" I yelled.

"Lucy?" Levy asked, worried.

"The Gates of Eclipse, they are already unlocked… When they took our keys before throwing us in jail…" I said, dumbfounded. "Why Princess? Why did you do such a thing?!"

"I couldn't allow any refusal from you…" she admitted, decent enough to lower her eyes.

"Let's not lose anymore second! Jura, Max, Shelly, Risley, your turn!" I cried out.

And like that, our plan began. The four aforesaid quickly created a large tunnel between the two doors. Yukino and I went to stand near each side of the big Gates. The dragon slayers lined up in front of them, ready to step through. I saw them the second my hand pushed the door. I freezed. Lucy and Haru were watching us from the other side of the room. They were already fading into nothingness. Haru smiled her biggest smile and mouthed a "See you soon Mama!" My eyes welled up with tears, and I didn't even try to hold them back. Natsu frowned. I closed my eyes and pushed the door harder. The spatiotemporal vortex appeared. When I opened my eyes again, the two had disappeared.

"Run, Natsu. We'll meet at the the other side" I whispered.

The six dragon slayers entered the vortex, and the tremors began.

" Hurry! The tunnel won't stand for long!" I shouted.

One after the other, our friends jumped into the vortex. Jura's turn came and soon the only one left in the room were Arcadeus, the Princess, Yukino and me. The two didn't seem to have any intention to jump, and I looked at them quizzically.

"Hurry and go girls, it's our role to stay with our people, after all." The Princess said a kind smile on her pink lips.

Yukino and I jumped in the vortex, closing the doors behind us, as planned. The time travel didn't last more than a dozen of seconds, and soon we were hurled in the middle of a giant battlefield. The ex-future Acnologia was lying lifeless on the ground, while Natsu and the others were fighting against Zeref. The dark wizard seemed to step back little by little, overwhelmed by the attacks coming from everywhere. It was an attack from Sting who threw him on the ground, and at that moment, I was never happier I mustered my courage to speak to them two days ago. Once the wizard on the ground, Milliana bound him with her inhibitive ropes and Gajeel put him in a metallic cage from foot to neck.

"What now?" Sting asked.

"We can't kill him; he's the only one who knows the dragons' language." I answered.

"Tch…" He mumbled, disappointed.

I patted his arm with a smile and approached the dark wizard.

"The world of servitude you wished for will never exist. We will manage to live in peace with the dragons." I declared.

The only answer I got was a roar of laughter, which Natsu shut up with a flaming punch.

"You really think that you can communicate with them? They consider humans as less than ants. Would you speak to ants?" He said, a mocking smile on his, I must admit, handsome face.

"If you didn't communicate with them, how did you learn their language?" Erza asked.

"To make it short, I'm the one who taught them, Erza Scarlett." He answered with an astonishing nature.

Stunned glances exchanged between us. How old could this guy be?

"Dude, how old are you?" Gray asked, as if he read it in my mind.

"I am the origin of all magic, and the father of all magic creatures. I am made of magic."

Once more, disbelieving glances on our side. We were even more surprised, if possible, when he continued.

"I wanted to create an ultimate dragon, before you arrived here with Eclipse, in order to stop the war, and rule over the dragons. I never intended to destroy anything!" He admitted.

His body disappeared from the cage and materialized in front of us, unscathed. We blinked in amazement, once again. Master Makarov then spoke.

"You seem to know who we are and where we're from, so you must know the destruction the dragon you were about to create brought on the world…"

"No, I only read Miss Erza's thoughts. I can't see the future, nor travel into it." He confessed to us.

"We came here to change the future, a future where dragons are reigning on all living beings.

"You're talking about the ones who came a little more than six years ago?"

"You remember?" I stuttered.

"Yes, they were only a dozen, but I can recognize some faces. The time here stopped after they came, you just reactivated it."

"She told us that they were brought back in X791 after they killed the man supposed to become Acnologia." I whispered.

"They got aspired by the vortex, which had stayed open at that time." He explained simply.

"Then we are stuck here forever? 400 years before our era?" exclaimed Gray, shocked.

"I am able to open the Gates of Time, I did forge them myself after all…" Zeref told us, a small amused smile on his lips. "But before that, I smelled a dragon scent on a few of you, why?"

"The six who attacked you first are what we call dragon slayers. With the exception of my grandson here, they were all raised and taught magic by dragons." Master explained.

"Dragons finally had some contact with humans huh… What were their names?"

"Igneel, Metallicana, Grandeeney, Weisslogia and Skiadrum" Rogue enunciated.

Zeref laughed, but kindly this time, to our utmost surprise, for a change…

"Those five huh… They came back here a little more than 14 years ago. They are my five first 'children'."

"Heh? They are here?" Gajeel asked, and I could almost see steam going out of his ears.

"Rogue and I killed Weiss and Skia!" Sting objected.

"A mere human cannot kill a dragon. They are made of magic, and destroying their physical shell doesn't mean killing them." Zeref answered back.

He then spoke in a strange language, almost singing. A violent gust of wind made our hair fly in all directions, and when it calmed down, the most improbable scene appeared right in front of our eyes: five gigantic dragons, red, white, silver, black and light blue landed on the ground like birds on a tree branch. The eyes of the five dragon slayers welled up with tears.

"Igneel!" Natsu shouted.

"Natsu?" answered back the bass voice of the red dragon.

"Metallicana" Gajeel whispered.

"Grandeeney!" Wendy cried, overjoyed.

"Skia…" Rogue whispered, in pure disbelief.

"Weiss… you're alive…" Sting said in a murmur, his eyes ready to pop out.

"Don't worry son, I'm not mad at you!" The magnificent white dragon said kindly.

"Weiss…"

"Aw! Just come hug your parents 'hello', you stupid brats!" Metallicana (I supposed, seeing his shining silver scales) let out.

The five didn't wait to be told twice and rushed towards them, hugging their neck and crying like small kids. The scene was surreal.

"Natsu, it seems like you found your other half. And so did Gajeel and the young Wendy…"

"Other…half?" He stuttered.

"The cute blond girl over there, there is your smell on her."

_Is he speaking about me? _

"Yes, you, young girl, come over here!" Igneel said.

_Huh what?_ I gathered all my courage and approached slowly the huge creature.

"Yep, no doubt son, this woman is your partner!"

"I know that, we always do missions together and…"

"I don't speak about that kind of 'partner', you fool!" The big dragon sweat dropped.

I could hear our friends and the other dragons titter.

"Ah?"

"She is your mate, your female… if you prefer."

"Hey, I'm not an animal!" I cried, offended.

"In my eyes, yes you are… But that's not the point…"

"Igneel, Lucy will be the mother of our child, we saw her…" Natsu declared aloud dead serious.

"Hm, I see… Okay then! Don't take too much time! I can't wait to meet my grandchild!" The giant dragon guffawed.

Natsu and I shared a long blank stare before looking away with cheeks red as cherries. The others came near us too and soon we were all chatting. Zeref was the only one stayed behind. I was watching us with a tender smile. I turned away and vanished in a fog-like smoke.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoO**

5 YEARS LATER

The war finally stopped a few days after our arrival. We set up in the big city where most of the humans from this area where living. There were still tensions, but no more battles. We formed Fairy Tail again, including Sting, Rogue, Orga and Rufus. Mermaid Heels, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale and Bacchus had merged to form a huge guild called Dragon's Tales, the stories about dragons…

Most of us got trained by dragons (friends of Igneel and Cie). The one training me was a female deep blue dragon called Aleerana. She trained me and Juvia, who became my training partner when the beautiful dragon wasn't there. However, for the past 24 months, any training was forbidden to me. The reason was right now in the arms of Natsu, sleeping soundly. Haru was born one year and half ago. She had the same pinkish (salmon) hair than her father, and my big brown eyes. She loves everyone, and everyone loved her back as much. And as I guess before, Natsu was a real mother hen! I lifted my eyes towards the starry sky and whispered:

"Thank you, Lucy…"

I felt a soft fur against my leg and bent down to take the blue ball of fur in my arms. Since Exceeds never existed in this new world, they all became regular cats… I kissed him on his pink nose and went back inside, a sweet and happy smile gracing my lips.

THE END

* * *

*As you may have understood, this story is written from Lucy's point of view.

** I will not make any story relating what happened during those five years, I let that to you imagination.

*** I you want to write a story about these 5 years or a sequel, feel free to do so, but just tell me beforehand if you're going to use Haru, my OC, in it.

****Finally, I'm not asking for review, as I don't like it when writer almost beg to have some, so review if you want, I'll read it, and maybe answer by private message.

I hope you enjoyed the story, it just came to my head the day I read that chapter, so it's nothing big ^^"


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